Dear John, I’m writing to you today as a Navy veteran and the dad of a transgender child because military families need your voice and your support, right now. You see, Congress is about to take away healthcare for some military families with trans kids—and it could happen as soon as Monday. I served my country for 13 years, and in that time, my wife and children sacrificed as much as I did. Every military family does. I didn’t swear an oath to defend our country just to have to fight for my child’s freedom to be who she is. But because the U.S. House of Representatives made a last-minute change to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—which funds everything we need for our military to function, including healthcare for service members and our families—a vicious provision could prevent military families with transgender kids from getting care. Call or email your Senator NOW and tell them to vote NO on the NDAA! If the NDAA passes the Senate with this provision, it will have devastating consequences for trans youth, for the military families who love them, and even for America’s military readiness and morale. We know this because we already learned it from the failure of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Military policies that discriminate weaken our national security, and we should never make policy that forces military service members to choose between serving our country and keeping our families safe. The vote on the NDAA is expected as early as MONDAY. It is critical that people like you who care about our military and about trans kids and families make your voice heard. Call and email your Senators—both of them—and tell them to Vote No, because military families with trans kids sacrifice so much, and they’ve more than earned our support. Please consider sharing my family’s story with your Senators, family, and friends to let others know about families like mine. In solidarity,  Branden Marty (LCDR, US Navy) (he/him) |
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